Brainiac 8 (Indigo) is a

fiction Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying individuals, events, or places that are imaginary, or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent with history, fact, or plausibility. In a traditi ...

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...

character appearing in

American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical originating in the United States, on average 32 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publication of ''Action Comics'' ...

s published by

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Publication history

Brainiac 8 first appeared in '' Titans/Young Justice: Graduation Day'' #1 and was created by

Judd Winick Judd Winick (born February 12, 1970) is an American cartoonist, comic book writer and screenwriter, as well as a former reality television personality. He first gained fame for his stint on MTV's ''The Real World: San Francisco'' in 1994, before f ...

and Alé Garza.

Fictional character biography

Indigo is a Coluan and a member of the

Outsiders Outsider(s) may refer to: Film * Outsider (1997 film), ''Outsider'' (1997 film), a 1997 Slovene-language film * Outsider (2012 film), ''Outsider'' (2012 film), a Malayalam-language Indian film * Outsiders (1980 film), ''Outsiders'' (1980 film), a ...

. Born in a distant future era, she comes to the 21st century badly damaged, and desperately looks for a cybernetic or mechanical organism capable of repairing her. In the process, she tries to install her self-repairing routines into the

Metal Men The Metal Men are a group of superheroes that appear in DC Comics. The characters first appeared in ''Showcase'' #37 (March–April 1962) and were created by writer Robert Kanigher and artist Ross Andru. Debuting in the Silver Age of Comic Boo ...

, but they are incapable of assisting her in maintenance. Then she turns to

Cyborg A cyborg ()—a portmanteau of ''cybernetic'' and ''organism''—is a being with both organic and biomechatronic body parts. The term was coined in 1960 by Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline.

, but in the process, she damages him. Attacked by the combined forces of

Young Justice Young Justice is a fictional DC Comics superhero team consisting of teenaged heroes. The team was formed in 1998 when DC's usual teen hero group, the Teen Titans, had become adults and changed their name to the Titans. Like the original ''Teen ...

and the

Titans In Greek mythology, the Titans ( grc, οἱ Τῑτᾶνες, ''hoi Tītânes'', , ''ho Tītân'') were the pre-Olympian gods. According to the ''Theogony'' of Hesiod, they were the twelve children of the primordial parents Uranus (Sky) and Ga ...

, she retreats and switches into an offensive mode. Although the combined forces of the young superheroes best her, adding further damage, she is able to activate a dormant

Superman robot The Superman robots are List of fictional robots and androids, fictional robots from the DC Comics DC Universe, Universe. The robots resembled Superman in appearance and abilities. History Silver Age versions Superman robots played a particularly ...

before shutting down for repairs. Yet when the android comes after the young heroes (killing

Lilith Clay Lilith Clay, also known as Omen, is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Robert Kanigher and Nick Cardy, Lilith made her first appearance in ''Teen Titans'' #25 (February 1970) and commonly appears as ...

and

Donna Troy Donna Troy is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. She is the original Wonder Girl and later temporarily adopts another identity, Troia. Created by Bob Haney and Bruno Premiani, she first appeared in ''The ...

), Red Arrow (then going by the name "Arsenal") briefly reactivates the young female droid and sends her to stop the Superman Android before shutting down again. When Red Arrow (still calling himself Arsenal at the time) reforms the Outsiders, he claims the female droid, now called Indigo, as a teammate. Her memory was supposedly damaged in the aftermath of her dramatic appearance; any remainder was wiped out by

S.T.A.R. Labs Scientific and Technological Advanced Research Laboratories (S.T.A.R. Labs) is a fictional scientific research facility and organization appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. It first appeared in ''Superman'' #246 (December 1 ...

. Indigo displays a very naive personality, guilelessly taking pleasure in the simple things in life, like doing laundry for friends, bowling, and silent movies. She often struggles to learn how to behave in society, and takes her cues from those she lives with. As she grows more integrated in her quest to earn the acceptance and forgiveness of

Nightwing Nightwing is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character has appeared in various incarnations; the identity was adopted by Dick Grayson when he left his role as Batman's vigilante partner Robin. Although ...

and her teammates, she even manages to find love with Shift. It was revealed in that Indigo is actually Brainiac 8, and every bit the ruthless, inhuman villain that previous Brainiacs were. Indigo as the Outsiders knew her is essentially a subprogram, designed by Brainiac 8's "grandfather", Brainiac 6, to endear her to the superhero community. Brainiac 8 had been sent back in time to kill Donna Troy, because a living Donna would negate Coluan domination over the "organics" after the "

Infinite Crisis "Infinite Crisis" is a 2005–2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, a ...

" events. After a beating by the combined forces of Teen Titans and Outsiders, the Indigo persona wrests control from Brainiac 8, and reveals herself to be a genuine personality. Weeping, she begs Shift to kill her before the Brainac 8 persona could harm the people she loves. Shift, in tears, transforms her molecular structure into flesh, killing her in the process. The ''Origins and Omens'' back-up story indicated that Indigo might soon return, but writer Judd Winick left the book before this plot thread could be followed up on. Indigo eventually returns in ''Teen Titans'' (vol. 3) #98 as part of

Superboy-Prime Superboy-Prime (Clark Kent, born Kal-El), also known as Superman-Prime or simply Prime, is a DC Comics superhero turned supervillain and an alternate version of Superman. The character first appeared in ''DC Comics Presents'' #87 (November 198 ...

Legion of Doom The Legion of Doom is a group of supervillains who originated in ''Challenge of the Super Friends'', an animated series from Hanna-Barbera based on DC Comics' Justice League. The Legion of Doom has since been incorporated into the main DC Univers ...

. She now sports a cybernetic arm and eye, the origins of which are unexplained. During ''Teen Titans'' (vol. 3) #100, she is once again destroyed by

Red Robin Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc., more commonly known as Red Robin Gourmet Burgers and Brews or simply Red Robin, is an American chain of casual dining restaurants founded in September 1969 in Seattle, Washington. In 1979, the first franchised ...

and Robin. In 2016, DC Comics implemented another relaunch of its books called "

DC Rebirth DC Rebirth is a 2016 relaunch by the American comic book publisher DC Comics of its entire line of ongoing monthly superhero comic book titles. Using the end of The New 52 initiative in May 2016 as its launching point, DC Rebirth restored the D ...

", which restored its continuity to a form much as it was prior to "

The New 52 The New 52 is the 2011 revamp and relaunch by DC Comics of its entire line of ongoing monthly superhero comic books. Following the conclusion of the " Flashpoint" crossover storyline, DC canceled all its existing titles and debuted 52 new serie ...

". Indigo appears as a member of the

Fatal Five The Fatal Five is a supervillain team of the 30th century in the DC Comics universe. They were created by Jim Shooter and first appeared in '' Adventure Comics'' #352 (1967) as enemies of the Legion of Super-Heroes. Fictional team history Origi ...

. While fighting Supergirl, she got torn into pieces by

Zor-El Zor-El is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. A Kryptonian, he is the brother of Jor-El, husband of Alura, father of Supergirl, and paternal uncle of Superman. Traditional depictions of Zor-El in Golde ...

. Then, her remains were gathered and shipped to Mokkari from Magog.

Powers and abilities

Indigo possesses an analytical computer-like brain, enabling her to think and perceive information at great speeds. As a unique inorganic being, she can fly, project force fields, and fire blasts of energy from her eyes or hands. Her physical capabilities are far beyond human limitations. She is also able to interact with and control any technology, no matter how modern.

Other characters with the name Indigo

* Indigo was also the name of a character in ''

DP 7 ''D.P. 7'' was a comic book series published by Marvel Comics as part of its New Universe imprint. It ran for 32 issues and an ''Annual'' (January 1987), which were published from 1986 to 1989. The title stands for Displaced Paranormals and ref ...

'', one of the titles of

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...

' short-lived

New Universe The New Universe is an imprint (trade name), imprint from Marvel Comics that was published in its original incarnation from 1986 to 1989. It was the first line produced by Marvel Comics utilizing a pre-conceived shared universe concept. It was cre ...

imprint. * Indigo was another name used by the DC superhero

Deep Blue Deep Blue may refer to: Film * ''Deep Blues: A Musical Pilgrimage to the Crossroads'', a 1992 documentary film about Mississippi Delta blues music * Deep Blue (2001 film), ''Deep Blue'' (2001 film), a film by Dwight H. Little * Deep Blue (2003 ...

. * Indigo was also the name of a member of

Sovereign Seven ''Sovereign Seven'' is a creator-owned American comic book series, created by Chris Claremont and Dwayne Turner, and published by DC Comics. Publication history Launched in April 1995, ''Sovereign Seven'' was created by writer Chris Claremont a ...

. * Indigo-1 was also the name of the leader of the

Indigo Tribe The Indigo Tribe is a fictional organization that appears in DC Comics publications, primarily those of the ''Green Lantern'' series. In the DC Universe, it is one of the seven major groups known as the Corps of the emotional spectrum. The group ...

in ''

The Blackest Night "Blackest Night" is a 2009–10 American comic book crossover storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous central miniseries, written by Geoff Johns and penciled by Ivan Reis, along with a number of tie-in issues. ''Blackest Nig ...

'' crossover event in 2009. She and her tribe derived their power from compassion.

In other media

Indigo appears in a

season 1 Season One may refer to: Albums * ''Season One'' (Suburban Legends album), 2004 * ''Season One'' (All Sons & Daughters album), 2012 * ''Season One'' (Saukrates album), 2012 See also * * * Season 2 (disambiguation) * Season 4 (disambiguat ...

of ''

Supergirl Supergirl is the name of several fictional superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original, current, and most well known Supergirl is Kara Zor-El, the cousin of superhero Superman. The character made her fir ...

'', portrayed by

Laura Vandervoort Laura Dianne Vandervoort (born September 22, 1984) is a Canadian actress. She is best known for her roles as Sadie Harrison in the CTV teen drama series ''Instant Star'', Arla "The Bolt-Gun Killer" Cogan in the Syfy supernatural drama series '' ...

(who portrayed

on the TV show ''

Smallville ''Smallville'' is an American superhero television series developed by writer-producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, based on the DC Comics character Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The series was produced by Millar Gough ...

''). She debuts in the episode "

Solitude Solitude is a state of seclusion or isolation, meaning lack of socialisation. Effects can be either positive or negative, depending on the situation. Short-term solitude is often valued as a time when one may work, think, or rest without distu ...

". It is mentioned that she was previously known as Brainiac-8, is a Coluan and a possible descendant of original Brainiac. Indigo initially appears as a blonde human on video monitors, but attains a form closer to that of her comics counterpart when in the real world. Eventually crossing paths with Supergirl, Indigo hacks a secret military base and also teams up with Supergirl's uncle and enemy

Non Non, non or NON can refer to: * ''Non'', a negatory word in French, Italian and Latin People *Non (given name) *Non Boonjumnong (born 1982), Thai amateur boxer * Rena Nōnen (born 1993), Japanese actress who uses the stage name "Non" since July ...

. She reveals to Supergirl as she dies that she was the reason Fort Rozz and Supergirl escaped the Phantom Zone. Her plan is to destroy National City with a nuclear weapon, but she is killed by Winn Schott, Jr. when he downloads a virus into her. However, Non later reanimates her. Indigo reappears in "

Myriad A myriad (from Ancient Greek grc, μυριάς, translit=myrias, label=none) is technically the number 10,000 (ten thousand); in that sense, the term is used in English almost exclusively for literal translations from Greek, Latin or Sinospher ...

", now working with Non conducting Project Myriad. In the season finale " Better Angels", she and Non try to kill all of the people in National City using Myriad. Indigo is killed for good during a final confrontation with the

Martian Manhunter The Martian Manhunter (J'onn J'onzz) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Joseph Samachson and designed by artist Joe Certa, the character first appeared in the story "The Manhunter from Mars" ...

and Supergirl when the former rips her body in half. Before she dies, she reveals that she has locked the system to activate Myriad, so Kara and J'onn will have no choice but to watch everyone on Earth die. Indigo is ultimately defeated in death when Supergirl saves the world by flying Fort Rozz into space, pushing herself to her limits to push it out of the earth's orbit, saving the world. Indigo appears as a playable character in the DC TV Super-Villains DLC pack in ''

Lego DC Super-Villains ''Lego DC Super-Villains'' is a Lego-themed action-adventure game, action-adventure Platform game, platform video game developed by Traveller's Tales. The fourth installment in the ''Lego Batman'' series of games, it is a spin-off that focuses e ...

''.

References

External links

Indigo
at DC Database

at DC Cosmic Teams!
Indigo
at Comic Vine
Indigo
at Writeups.org {{The Outsiders Characters created by Judd Winick DC Comics female superheroes DC Comics American superheroes DC Comics characters with accelerated healing DC Comics characters with superhuman strength DC Comics robots DC Comics cyborgs DC Comics extraterrestrial supervillains DC Comics female supervillains DC Comics supervillains Cyborg supervillains Robot supervillains Fictional androids Fictional artificial intelligences Fictional characters with energy-manipulation abilities Fictional characters with superhuman durability or invulnerability Fictional extraterrestrial cyborgs Fictional extraterrestrial robots Fictional gynoids Fictional technopaths